5 Things The Berserk Anime Does Better Than The Manga

Berserk is easily one of the best dark fantasy series around, serving as an inspiration for several modern pieces of fiction that have become a landmark of pop culture. The massive impact that Berserk has had in shaping the entertainment world cannot be stated enough, and Kentaro Miura's work is revered by many as a result. The mangaka's untimely death was a source of great despair among fans.

Each panel of the Berserk manga is full of incredible illustrations and detailed sketches, making it evident that Miura was a master of his craft. This is perhaps why fans tend to shy away from the Berserk anime, especially when it comes to the recent iterations that lack the detail and panache present in Miura's work. However, the '97 anime and the Berserk movies are still widely beloved. Here are some aspects that anime viewers cite in defense of the Berserk anime — sans the 2016 and 2017 adaptations — and why it arguably makes for a better experience than the manga.

5 The Anime Cuts Down On Some Unnecessary Scenes

Unlike the anime, the manga focused on Guts in the present before taking readers into a flashback that elaborated on his character before the events that changed him. However, neither the '97 anime nor the Golden Age Arc film trilogy really need to touch upon these moments at all.

As a result, a lot of unnecessary scenes and side characters end up getting shelved in the anime. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since the story feels more concise and entertaining as a result of this change. With the omission of numerous extra scenes, Guts' time with Casca and Griffith ends up carrying way more emotional weight than it does the manga.

4 The Music Is Brilliant

One simply cannot talk about the positives of the '97 anime series without mentioning its stellar soundtrack, which is still an integral part of pop culture to this day. They elevate the fight scenes to a whole new level. However, what's even more surprising is that the more emotional and introspective parts of the show actually end up feeling all the more impactful with some truly brilliant music.

This leads to various moments feeling all the more powerful as a result of this amazing score. For example, Guts' tender moments with Casca and Griffith's bond with the protagonist carry much more weight for viewers with this music behind them. It's honestly hard to go back to the manga and witness these scenes without the audio that added more emotional weight to these scenes. Perhaps readers should play the anime's soundtrack in the background as they read.

3 The Fight Scenes Are Satisfying To Watch

One of the major highlights of both the Berserk anime and manga are definitely the fight scenes, especially the ones where Guts takes center-stage. Watching this monstrous soldier wield his massive sword to cut down any enemy that lies in his path is a visual treat that doesn't get boring anytime soon.

The anime enjoys a greater advantage in this arena, as a result of some excellent animation and music that increases the brutality of these scenes even further. It's true that the anime is much more censored than the manga; however, it still conveys the force and power of these scenes with ease. It ranks these brutal action scenes among the highlights of both the series and the movie.

2 The Golden Age Arc Film Trilogy Features Excellent Animation

Berserk's first arc has witnessed two adaptations, and both of them are brilliant. However, while the '97 anime is great in its own right, one can't deny the fact that this show does feel somewhat outdated today. Yet, that is not the case with the Golden Age Arc film trilogy, which is excellent and worth a watch for any fan of stellar animation.

It's the visual achievements of these films that makes the newest Berserk adaptations incredibly frustrating to look at. The studio had a perfect template in the form of three movies, which feature some brilliant animation. However, a lack of proper direction and some poor framing led to one of the most disappointing anime adaptations of all time in the 2016 and 2017 productions.

1 The Eclipse Is Incredibly Brutal In The Anime

The changes that the anime and movies make in terms of the storytelling and pacing lead to an arc that is concise, entertaining — and absolutely brutal during the final moments, when the infamous Eclipse dooms the Bank of the Falcon. It's extremely difficul to watch as all the characters that the anime has built are either killed or brutalized in horrible fashion; yet, it shows just how amazing the arc has been portrayed in the anime adaptations.

If certain creative liberties hadn't been taken when it came to the structure of this arc, then perhaps the finale wouldn't have been all that impactful in the first place. Instead, viewers were treated to one of the most brutal and heart-wrenching anime finales of all time. It completely destroyed Guts' naive perception of the world and forced him on a path of vengeance, as he strove to get back at those who betrayed him.

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